| CEO Poonch evades RTI hearingSends Headmaster, SIC issues penalty notice | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 17 : The SIC has put CEO Poonch on penalty notice for evading its orders. The CEO was directed to ensure his presence in the commission in connection with the hearing of a petition under RTI Act. The CEO made a poor headmaster scapegoat by directing her to appear for the said hearing. The matter was taken very seriously by SIC , who have issued a penalty notice against the erring CEO. Details available with Early Times reveal that one Mohammad Din Awan, S/O Abdul Kareem Awan, R/O Village Kalai, Tehsil Haveli, District Poonch moved an application dated 08.05.2015 before the PIO cum Chief Education Officer, Poonch under State RTI Act wherein he sought certain information relating to details of work and expenditure under Rashtriya Madhyamik Shikhsa Abhiyan (RMSA) at Govt. High School, Kalai for the year 2011 to 2014.
The appellant feeling aggrieved of inaction on the part of the PIO/Chief Education Officer, Poonch filed first appeal dated 07.07.2015 before the Director School Education Jammu (First Appellate Authority) . The records reveal that the first appeal was not been adjudicated and disposed of by the First Appellate Authority (FAA) and after that the appellant filed second appeal dated 10.09.2015 before the State Information Commission (SIC) . The Commission after receiving the second appeal listed the matter for hearing on 27.10.2015.
During the course of proceedings held at SIC Jammu on 27.10.2015 Pushpa Devi, Head Master, Govt. High School, Kalai, Tehsil Haveli, District Poonch furnished the requisite information comprising 235 leaves to the information seeker free of cost in presence of Information Commissioner . Head Master, Govt. High School, Kalai also brought to the notice of the Commission that she received RTI application of the information seeker only on 16.10.2015 from the office of the Chief Education Officer, Poonch and accordingly, the information was prepared. She told commission that she was directed by the Chief Education Officer, Poonch to attend the hearing before the Commission at Jammu . The SIC order reads as :
" The Commission would like to observe here that the Head Master, Govt. High School, Kalai is not the PIO in this case, Chief Education Officer, Poonch is the designated PIO and he is supposed to attend the hearing personally before the Commission which he has failed to do so. Moreover, the CEO, Poonch has also failed in his duty to furnish the requisite information to the information seeker within the statutory period as mandated under the J&K Right to Information Act, 2009. The Joint Director, Directorate of School Education, Jammu identified Sh. Lal Hussain, who is holding the office of the Chief Education Officer, Poonch since 2014. The perusal of the record shows that Sh. Lal Hussain, Chief Education Officer, Poonch has failed in his duty to furnish the requisite information sought by the information seeker and there is unreasonable delay on his part in securing the same through Head Master, High School, Kalai. Chief Education Officer, Poonch is hereby directed to show cause why penalty proceedings under Sections 17 of the J&K Right to Information Act, 2009 may not be initiated against him within ten days from the date of receipt of this order, failing which the action will be taken under rules." |
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